Rekindled
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Mrs. Potato Head catches a glimpse of the sprightly young spud she fell in love with.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Toy Story movies or characters. Warning: Toy Story 3 spoilers.

**Rekindled  
**By Jennifer Collins

"Daaaadddy!" Mrs. Potato Head watched as her husband played with their three adopted alien children. They all took turns chasing each other around Bonnie's room, and she laughed with delight whenever any of them tapped her as their "base."

She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and gasped in surprise when three small round toys rolled into view. They introduced themselves as Peatey, Peanelope, and Peatrice. "Peas in a pod!" They shouted in unison, looking towards their abandoned pod with bright smiles.

"Oh, how cuuute!" Mrs. Potato Head gushed.

The children bounced up and down excitedly. "Can we play too?" Peatey asked.

"Sure! Come on kids," Mr. Potato Head waved them into the game. He waddled over to his wife once their three new friends were happily bouncing after their children.

"Oh, they're so adorable!" Mrs. Potato Head shrieked. "Can we adopt them too?"

Her husband took her hand. "We can do whatever you want, my little Sweet Potato," He said, raising her hand to his mouth. She giggled as his moustache tickled her fingers.

Just then, a catchy Spanish tune sounded from the mini boom box in the corner and Buzz and Jessie began a heated dance. All the other toys gradually came over to watch the fancy footwork.

Mrs. Potato Head's grip on her husband's hand tightened as she watched the toys move in perfect sync to each other and to the music. He smiled and wrapped a long arm around her.

Even though the crowd increased as Bonnie's toys joined their old group next to them, it might just as well have been only the two of them as they watched Buzz swing Jessie around his back and over his knee in a complicated dip that served as an amazing finale. The toys all clapped and cheered wildly.

Jessie gave an impish grin and winked at her friends. "One more time!" She shouted, and Bullseye eagerly pressed the button to start the song again.

"Now everybody!" Buzz invited.

Mrs. Potato Head slid back to make room for any toy who wanted to join the romantic dance. As she did so, her husband turned around and regarded her with a goofy lovestruck smile. "May I?" He asked, offering her his hand.

For a second, she was in shock. Years of inactivity combined with his naturally pessimistic demeanor had hardened him, and he hardly wanted to do anything anymore, let alone dance a romantic dance. "But our legs aren't long enough to move like that," She said idly.

"So, we'll just wing it," He insisted with a twinkle in his eye.

Her smile was huge. "Alright!" She agreed as she took his hand and shoved her purse into Dolly's hands. "Let's do it!" She'd barely gotten the words out before he'd pulled her into the middle of the room and was twirling her around just as fast as Buzz had done with Jessie.

They slid across the floor, their long outstretched arms doing most of the work. Mrs. Potato Head was surprised at the pace he kept up and was thrilled that he did not take his eyes off hers as they moved. "You're still a pretty good dancer, Old Man," she joked.

Mr. Potato Head lowered her into a dramatic dip. "And you, my dear, are just as lovely as the day I met you."

"Oooooohhh!" She gushed, waving her hand in front of her face. "Keep turning this heat up and I'll be a baked potato!"

Suddenly, Jessie snuck up right beside them and placed her plastic rose into Mr. Potato Head's mouth before leaping backward into the crowd of toys. He clicked his tongue and dramatically bumped his side into hers, his eyes communicating what he wanted her to do next.

She leaned her head forward and gripped the flower in between her teeth, successfully taking it from his mouth. She heard all the other toys hooting with appreciation and laughed loudly. Then she took one of his hands in hers and they raised their arms into the air in one sharp motion, signaling their finale.

Bonnie's room erupted into applause. Woody slapped his hand on Mr. Potato Head's back. "You've been holding out on us," He said. "You could've taught ol' Buzz here a few tips on how to woo the ladies ages ago," He added with a grin.

"You sly dog," Slinky said with a wink.

"Way to go, Spudster," Hamm cheered.

"That certainly was a moving performance," Mr. Pricklepants congratulated in a thick voice.

Once the commotion had died down, Mrs. Potato Head regarded her husband suspiciously with her hands on her hips. "Where did all that come from?" She wondered.

"From the sheer joy of being with you, my darling," Mr. Potato Head replied sincerely. "I know it's been a long time since I've shown you how much I truly enjoy being your husband."

"Oh, sweetheart!" She shrieked, embracing him fiercely. She didn't think this romantic side of her mate would last very long, but that was okay. For a moment, he'd shown her that he was still the same sprightly young spud she'd fallen for all those years ago. Even if she only got to see this side of him once every ten years, she was fine with that.

He leaned over to kiss her deeply, and she closed her eyes and puckered her lips loudly in anticipation.

"Will you kids cut that out?" His voice thundered.

She opened her eyes, confused, and found him shaking his fist at the peas as they giggled and climbed out of his hatch back. Now this was the spud she'd grown to love.

She shook her head and tsk-tsked as he complained about the children's antics. He smiled sheepishly at her when he was over his rant and his eyes sparkled just a little. She smiled back encouragingly. Some things would never change, but it looked like a spark had definitely been rekindled.


End file.
